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The Muslim world has bloody borders, he continued. There are wars and
tensions where the Muslim world comes into conflict with other
civilizations. Even if decrepit regimes fell, he suggested, there would
still be a fundamental clash of civilizations between Islam and the West.
The Western nations would do well to keep their distance from Muslim
affairs. The more the two civilizations intermingle, the worse the
tensions will be.
Huntington’s thesis set off a furious debate. But with the historic changes
sweeping through the Arab world, it’s illuminating to go back and read
his argument today.
It now appears that people in these nations, like people in all nations,
have multiple authentic selves. In some circumstances, one set of
identities manifests itself, but when those circumstances change, other
equally authentic identities and desires get activated.
For most of the past few decades, people in Arab nations were living
under regimes that rule by fear. In these circumstances, most people
shared the conspiracy mongering and the political passivity that these
regimes encouraged. But when the fear lessened, and the opportunity for
change arose, different aspirations were energized. Over the past weeks,
we’ve seen Arab people ferociously attached to their national identities.
We’ve seen them willing to risk their lives for pluralism, openness and
democracy.
I’d say Huntington was also wrong in the way he defined culture.
In some ways, each of us is like every person on earth; in some ways,
each of us is like the members of our culture and group; and, in some
ways, each of us is unique. Huntington minimized the power of universal
political values and exaggerated the influence of distinct cultural values.
It’s easy to see why he did this. He was arguing against global elites who
sometimes refuse to acknowledge the power of culture at all.
But it seems clear that many people in Arab nations do share a universal
hunger for liberty. They feel the presence of universal human rights and
feel insulted when they are not accorded them.
I write all this not to denigrate the great Huntington. He may still be
proved right. The Arab world may modernize on its own separate path.
But his mistakes illuminate useful truths: that all people share certain
aspirations and that history is wide open. The tumult of events can
transform the traits and qualities that seemed, even to great experts,
etched in stone.